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To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written Harper Lee - a story of coming-of-age in the south (U.S.A.) during the time when racial discrimination was considered legally and culturally accepted. Copyright: 1960 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction in 1961 This wiki has been edited/expanded in large part by the Gr. 10 English Set 1 Class at Diocesan College (Bishops) who have been reading To Kill a Mockingbird as the set book. Below are some of the themes encountered in the book that we originally chose to talk about in the form of forum discussions. We have since turned this oral activity into a written analysis and discussion. Courage and bravery Courage and bravery is shown throughout the entire book. It is shown by most people in some way during the novel. Courage is mainly shown by Atticus, Jem, Scout, Mrs Dubose, and Boo radley. Below are the most obvious and important ones to remember. Atticus Atticus is courageous when he accepts the case to defend Tom Robinson. Although, it may be argued, Atticus was actually given the case by the court and couldn't have rejected it without being frowned upon by the professional lawyers of Maycomb, he still showed courage when passionately fighting for Tom Robinson. He stood up against the will and wanting of everyone in Maycomb, and challenged their morals and ethics. During the trial, Atticus challenged the jury's consciences, and tried to show them how there was no basic evidence to prove anything, apart from their racist prejudices, taking the word of a white man above the word of a black man. It is clear that Atticus is probably the main protagonist in the book in the sense that he is always seen to be a morally correct person. Whenever Scout and Jem fall, he manages to bring them up again and correct their faults. He knows what is right, and this is illustrated through the trial. Scout Scout shows a huge amount of courage when she stands up against those criticising Atticus. Even though she knows she will get into trouble, she still fights against those who tease her, such as Francis. At first, she cannot let people get away with it. Even though fighting is not good, she shows courage in standing up for herself and everyone she loves. She then learns about a better type of courage where she ignores them and does not fight back, like what she did against Cecil Jacobs. This shows even greater courage as it leads to even more teasing as people started saying she was a wimp. The fact that she punched Francis after walking away from Cecil Jacobs shows that she is human. His criticisms angered her so much that she could not ignore him. Scout Scout shows a huge amount of courage when she stands up against those criticising Atticus. Even though she knows she will get into trouble, she still fights against those who tease her, such as Francis. At first, she cannot let people get away with it. Even though fighting is not good, she shows courage in standing up for herself and everyone she loves. She then learns about a better type of courage where she ignores them and does not fight back, like what she did against Cecil Jacobs. This shows even greater courage as it leads to even more teasing as people started saying she was a wimp. The fact that she punched Francis after walking away from Cecil Jacobs shows that she is human. His criticisms angered her so much that she could not ignore him. Bias and prejudice Importance of education = = Lack of Education = "Standing in other people's shoes" Standing in other people's shoes is a moral lesson that is taught throughout the book. There are many individual incidents that deal with this idea and explore the philosophy behind it. It is first introduced when Scout has an arguement with Walter Cunningham early on in the book. From this point onwards, the lesson is carried on as an underlying theme until it climaxes at the end of the book with the Boo Radley incident. The five main incidents that were examined are as follows: The Walter Cunningham incident After getting into a fight with Walter Cunningham, Scout is forced by Jem to invite him back home for lunch. While eating, Walter asks for some molasses and Calpurnia brings a pitcher of syrup. Walter proceeds to pour the syrup over his meal of vegetables and meat. Scout gets annoyed and angry about this. This particular event leads to Atticus telling Scout about "standing in other people’s shoes" for the first time in the book. This is an important example because it is one of the first times that she has to deal with an adult-like problem. Scout has to step into Walter's shoes and see things from his perspective. She is exposed to the difference in status between the Cunninghams and the Finches. She also has to understand that each family has its own customs and own ideas of what is normal and acceptable. However, one may argue that the children are not actually exposed to Walter’s lifestyle – only for a brief moment. In fact, they do not even try to imagine how he must feel. One can also suggest that Walter put syrup on his food not because of his family's customs but because he did not have an opportunity to do so in his own home. Calpurnia takes Scout to church ' '''Tom Robinson and the trial' Standing in other people's shoes is one of the chief topics and themes of the novel. Perhaps the best example of this is the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson, a black civilian living in the outskirts of Maycomb, is convicted for raping Mayella Ewell, the lonely and abused daughter of Bob Ewell. The court case takes place in the second part of the novel and the children are exposed to the kinds of predjudice and racism in that community. Dill, Jem and Scout learn the hardships and struggles of being black in that community and they are affected by the trial of Tom Robinson. Each child is affected in varying degrees of intensity. Jem has a silent fit, Scout seeks the comfort of Reverend Sykes and towards the end of the trial, Dill begins to cry uncontrollably. Dill is perhaps affected the most as he is not used to the racism of Maycomb as he is from a better family and society. He therefore cries uncontrollably when Mr. Gilmor is racist towards Tom Robinson during his cross-examination. Although all three kids are relatively young, they were still put into another persons shoes during the trial.--Ngreig 08:36, 9 March 2007 (UTC) '''Mrs Dubose dies Boo Radley and Scout To Kill a Mockingbird Film Adaption Category:Best List Category:Fiction Category:Famous